Three Softball Players Named All-ConferenceTroy, Ala. (5/7/13) ? Three North Texas softball players were named to the All-Sun Belt Conference team, released Tuesday by the league office.

Troy, Ala. (5/7/13) – Three North Texas softball players were named to the All-Sun Belt Conference team, released Tuesday by the league office.

Junior Ashley Kirk was named second-team all-conference at pitcher, while junior Brooke Foster and freshman Taylor Schoblocher received second-team at-large selections. Foster was named an at-large selection at shortstop, and Schoblocher received the honor at designated player.

North Texas tied a school record with the three accolades. The trio of Mallory Cantler, Mariza Martinez and Ashley Lail were named all-conference following the 2010 season. Lail was the first Mean Green softball player to receive the honor at the pitcher position.

Kirk is receiving her first all-conference recognition. She leads the team with 14 wins, 16 complete games and 161 strikeouts. Her 2.45 ERA is sixth in the conference, and the right-hander is fourth in strikeouts. She has struck out 56 batters looking, good for second in the Sun Belt.

She capped the regular season by winning her last four decisions. The 14 wins is a personal best and third in school history. She is three strikeouts away from breaking her own single-season record. She set the career strikeout record this season against Middle Tennessee in just her third year. She holds the single-game, single-season and career strikeout records at North Texas.

Kirk was named Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week twice this season. She received the honor on April 29 following her performance against ULM when she picked up three wins against the Warhawks. Two of her wins were five-inning no-hitters. One of her biggest wins this season was her eight-strikeout performance against No. 19 Baylor on April 17.

Foster is receiving her second all-conference nod. She was named second-team all-conference at third base as a freshman in 2011. As a junior this season, Foster led the team with a .391 batting average, 63 hits and 24 multi-hit games. She is second on the team with nine doubles and third with 26 RBI. She is ranked fourth in the conference in batting average and tied for second in hits.

Foster hit .465 against Sun Belt opponents, which ranks second in the conference, and recorded a conference-leading 33 hits. She also stole eight bases against Sun Belt opponents. In 21 conference games, she posted 13 multi-game hits, including four three-hit games.

Foster is close to breaking a few North Texas single-season records. Her .391 batting average is currently second in the record books. Mallory Cantler set the record in 2009 with a .404 hitting percentage. Her 63 hits are tied for fourth, and she needs nine more to break Cantler’s record.

Schoblocher is the first the Mean Green softball player to receive all-conference honors as a freshman since Foster accomplished the feat in 2011. The freshman received an at-large selection at designated player, the second straight year that North Texas has had a player named all-conference at dp. Maddelyn Fraley was named first-team all-conference last year at dp.

The freshman leads the Mean Green with 10 home runs, setting the freshman record for most homers in a single season at North Texas. The 10 home runs ranks tied for sixth in the conference. She batted .340 against Sun Belt teams with seven home runs and 17 RBI. The seven home runs are tied for the conference lead and the 17 RBI ranks 10th.

Schoblocher hit two home runs in the series against Troy and ULM. Her 10th home run was a walk-off grand slam in the win against UTA.

North Texas earned a No. 4 seed in the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Tournament held in Troy. Ala. The Mean Green opens the tournament with a game on Wednesday, May 8 against No. 5 Florida Atlantic at 10 a.m.